Raven (Family)
"Watch your back" Karasu family motto Karasu Nii Sadamaru was a simple infantry commander in the Imperial army during the Mikado's conquest, but he was a man with remarkable ambition and ruthlessness. Apparently, before the Conquest even began, he had challenged the Mikado to a duel in order to lead the Grand Army, and after his loss, had plotted a coup with some of the Mercenaries to oppose the leadership of some of the more influencial commanders in the army. While none of his plots worked, after serving in the army and helping with the conquest of the Endless Shore, the Raven apparently realized the Mikado was now the real leader of his people and that he would never get his chance. Taking a large group of his followers, Karasu departed the fledgling Empire for parts unknown. It was only in the middle of the 18th century that the Raven actually reappeared for real. Throughout time before, there were always rumors, renegades and other mysterious strangers claiming to be of Raven blood, but the Raven officially reappeared and made a claim for their "birthright" during the short Hitoshikijima Incident, where the Shogun lost 12 000 men to a small, elite force of "foreigners" armed with muskets, katanas and mobile artillery. Having claimed an the islands close to the Imperial capital as their own, those foreigners unfurled their banner of a raven in flight and sent their embassador to the Mikado, which immediatly recognized their long lost brethren. The Karasu family The Karasu are a mysterious family, to say the least. Almost all of their samurai actually can trace their lineage to one of the original soldiers of the Raven, meaning that pretty much all of the members of their clan are Sons of Heavens, which is a farly terrifying prospect for many of the important families of the Empire. Even the small groups, scattered throughout the Empire, who claim ancestry from the Raven rallied under the banner of those Ravens who took over Hotishikijima, bolstering their strength and presence in the empire by a significant margin. Unlike many of the other families in the Empire, the Raven is almost purely military and adhere to a code of honor which predates the final days of the Conquest, a form of Bushido which is harsher and less forgiving then any other. The true goal of the Karasu remains a mystery to anyone outside of the military elite of the clan. Many think that they still have the ambition to overthrow the Emperor, while other believe that they have changed their mode of operation and now want to replace the Shogun, one of the High Minister or any of the other high instances of the Empire. If anything, it is clear that they are here for a reason and that they do not care about some of the Onmyou's Acts of Military Limitations, having reintroduces muskets and canons to land warfare in the Empire and actively opposing the Imperial Legions due to their actions against the Shogun. Lordship and territory The Karasu's territory is small, basically only a small archipelago of islands called Hitoshikijima, as well as dozens of regional lordships scattered within the Empire territory, from north to south and east to west. They do not manage economical activities in most of these areas, exacting tariff from ships approaching the capital and hiring large numbers of Ninkyo members to run the other trades of their region. The only real thing the Raven produces and trade actively are muskets and canons, built in what mainland Tarigani folks call "The Dragon Foundries" on the main island of the Hitoshikijima. In mainland Raven-territory, life for the general populace is quite similar to anything around it, with the exception that none of the taxes the locals pay really go to the Imperial coffers and that most of the Bureaucrats are either turned around at the borders or executed after a short "trial" by Raven-controlled Magistrates. Even the Secret Police has a hard time entering Raven territory without being under constant watch by the Karasu family. Military presence in those lordships are always omnipresent, even in peaceful regions like the Endless Shores or Nittan. It is strange to note that even though the Raven are extremely secretive and individualistic, in Tiger-controlled regions, they do provide levies to defend the southern border of the Empire and have actively been allying with the Ootora. The Hitoshikijima Ravens are quite similiar in their action, preventing any form of Imperial authority from ever setting foot on "THEIR" islands and not actively paying any taxes to the throne. Military forces are always present on the islands, and they are fully mobilized at all time, hunting down Islander pirates, exacting heavy tariff on foreign ships and acting as a "police force for hire" for any family with the coins to pay for them. The Karasu are not really religious, but many of them do follow a creed similar to the Way of the Stars, but many of them seem to have their own religious belief. Vassal families Rather than vassals, the Raven is divided in many military units commanded by descendants of the original Raven soldiers that followed Karasu Sadamaru into his self-imposed exile. Regional lords are usually refered to as "Captains", while the highest ranking leaders have the title of "Colonel". Important vassal families #The Karasuma #The Killings #The Orton Rivals and enemies There is no love between the Raven and most of the other families in the Empire, except for the Tiger and Bear, the first actively getting recruits from the Raven military complex and the second never having entered in conflict with them. The biggest enemy of the Raven is the Shogun himself, along with some of the higher ranking Imperial officials, who see the disruption brought by their black wings as an omen, but the Onmyouji also have quite a bone to pick with the Raven, who actively refuse many of their orders in regard to control of technological advancement. Important members of the family #Early 21st century * Category:Great Family Category:Tarigani Category:Crystal Isle Category:Great Families